Overview

With the land to hold them together, nothing can tear the Logans apart.

Why is the land so important to Cassie's family? It takes the events of one turbulent year—the year of the night riders and the burnings, the year a white girl humiliates Cassie in public simply because she is black—to show Cassie that having a place of their own is the Logan family's lifeblood. It is the land that gives the Logans their courage and pride, for no matter how others may degrade them, the ...

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This Book

Overview

With the land to hold them together, nothing can tear the Logans apart.

Why is the land so important to Cassie's family? It takes the events of one turbulent year—the year of the night riders and the burnings, the year a white girl humiliates Cassie in public simply because she is black—to show Cassie that having a place of their own is the Logan family's lifeblood. It is the land that gives the Logans their courage and pride, for no matter how others may degrade them, the Logans possess soemthing no one can take away.

"[Taylor] writes not with rancor or bitterness of indignities, but with pride, strength, and respect for humanity." —The New York Times Book Review

"The vivid story of a black family whose warm ties to each other and their land give them strength to defy rural Southern racism during the Depression. . . . Entirely through its own internal development, the novel shows the rich inner rewards of black pride, love, and independence despite the certainty of outer defeat." —Booklist (starred review)

* Newbery Medal winner
* A National Book Award Nominee
* American Book Award Honor Book
* An ALA Notable Book
* A NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
* A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book

A black family living in Mississippi during the Depression of the 1930s is faced with prejudice and discrimination which its children do not understand.

What People Are Saying

From the Publisher

"The vivid story of a black family whose warm ties to each other and their land give them strength to defy rural Southern racism during the Depression. . . . Entirely through its own internal development, the novel shows the rich inner rewards of black pride, love, and independence despite the certainty of outer defeat." —Booklist (starred review)

"The strong, clear-headed Logan family . . . are drawn with quiet affection and their actions tempered with a keen sense of human fallibility."—pointer, Kirkus Reviews

"The events and setting of the powerful novel are presented with such verisimilitude and the characters are so carefully drawn that one might assume the book to be autobiographical, if the author were not so young."—The Horn Book

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

Ever since it won the 1977 Newbery Medal, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry has engaged and affected millions of readers everywhere. This special 25th anniversary edition celebrates the timelessness of this beloved classic -- and introduces it to a new audience. Set in a small town in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this powerful, moving novel deals with issues of prejudice, courage, and self-respect. It is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. It is also the story of Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year why having land of their own is so crucial to her family. The racial tension and harrowing events experienced by young Cassie, her family, and her neighbors cause Cassie to grow up and discover the reality of her environment.

From the Publisher

"The vivid story of a black family whose warm ties to each other and their land give them strength to defy rural Southern racism during the Depression. . . . Entirely through its own internal development, the novel shows the rich inner rewards of black pride, love, and independence despite the certainty of outer defeat." —Booklist (starred review)

"The strong, clear-headed Logan family . . . are drawn with quiet affection and their actions tempered with a keen sense of human fallibility."—pointer, Kirkus Reviews

"The events and setting of the powerful novel are presented with such verisimilitude and the characters are so carefully drawn that one might assume the book to be autobiographical, if the author were not so young."—The Horn Book

Booklist

Entirely through its own internal development, the novel shows the rich inner rewards of black pride, love, and independence.

Related Subjects

Meet the Author

Mildred D. Taylor is the author of nine novels including The Road to Memphis, Let the Circle Be Unbroken, The Land, and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Her books have won numerous awards, among them a Newbery Medal (for Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry), four Coretta Scott King Awards, and a Boston Globe—Horn Book Award. Her book The Land was awarded the L.A. Times Book Prize and the PEN Award for Children’s Literature. In 2003, Ms. Taylor was named the First Laureate of the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature.

Mildred Taylor was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and grew up in Toledo, Ohio. After graduating from the University of Toledo, she served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia for two years and then spent the next year traveling throughout the United States, working and recruiting for the Peace Corps. At the University of Colorado’s School of Journalism, she helped created a Black Studies program and taught in the program for two years. Ms. Taylor has worked as a proofreader-editor and as program coordinator for an international house and a community free school. She now devotes her time to her family, writing, and what she terms “the family ranch” in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

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A Great Story!!

Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry is about a black family living in Mississippi during the early 1930's. This family, like many other families, is suffering from the unfair treatment from the whites. Their land is the only thing that gives them power. This is a good book for anyone that's wanting to learn more about the segragation issue, or even the unfair treatment of the blacks. This is also a true story, so it has lots of facts about the time period. I really liked this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat most of the time. The book is based on true events that happened to the author, Mildred d. Taylor. The character's names were changed. The author was born in Mississippi (the same location the story takes place in), and her father worked on the railroad (the same one in the story). I judged the book by three things, suspence, the events in the story, and the ending. The story had suspence, and the events and ending were great. The main point of the book was to give the readers an idea of what it was like to live in the deep south during the 1930's. The book really does give you an idea of what it was like.Cassie, the stories main character, is always trying to stand up for herself against the whites, and is brave. Stacey is Cassie's older brother, and is almost like Cassie. He's brave and trys to stand up for himself. Christopher- John is one of Cassie's younger brothers, and is trys to avoid trouble when ever possible, but still gets dragged into what Stacey wants to do. Little Man is the youngest, and he trys to be brave, but is still too young to stand up for himself. The book definitely achieves its goals and purposes. Its gives the readers an idea of what it was like living in the 1930's, and it gives us a good, suspenceful story. This book is like no other non-fiction story I've read, because its built like a fictional story, but acually has true events.I really liked this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat most of the time. It had many sad moments, and some funny ones too. I recammend this book to anyone and I give it 5 stars.

10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted October 3, 2008

You don't want to hang on to this book!

It¿s down in the dreaded south in 1940, and Cassie wishes that her school had a bus, and that the Jefferson Davis school bus would stop splattering her and her brothers with mud, or she didn¿t have to apologize to ¿Miz¿ Lillian Jean. Things go from excellent to shocking fast but from shocking to horrifying faster!!!!!! Will they be able to hold on to their land, that they owned as far back as big Ma could remember? Or will they lose it in the battle for justice? I think that Mildred D. Taylor did an excellent job representing what it was like back in 1940¿s for a big family like the Logan¿s. And it 100% deserved the Newberry Medal that it won.

5 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted February 13, 2013

Cassie and her family face a very hard.When people start doing b

Cassie and her family face a very hard.When people start doing bad things to Cassie and her family. They must figure out how to deal with all of this madness. They keep getting threats from the towns people. For example, Cassie and her brothers get mad fun of at school. Cassie's parents have a hard time shopping for food, clothes and other things that regular family's need. Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry is about how colored people were treated before Martin Luther King.

Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry was O.K. It got boring at some parts but over all it was a pretty good book. I give this book 3 stars because the author gave some details. There are z few surprising twists and turns. If you wanna find out read Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted March 2, 2014

#loveneverends

I LOVED THIS BOOK BUT IT REALLY SAD AT THE END AND I STARTED CRYING! PLEASE IF YOU HAVENT READ THIS BOOK READ THE SAMPLE AND BUY IT! TRUST ME YOU WONT REGRET IT!!!!!!!!!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted July 28, 2013

Boring

When does thw good parts come in im still reading the beginning and its very boring. :(

3 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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TracyMomNY

Posted January 11, 2013

Phenomenal!

Absolutely LOVED this book!! A MUST READ for all ages. Its especially great for middleschoolers and brings a terrific understanding to the trials and tribulations growing up in the 1930s in the Deep South. Loved it!!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted May 12, 2009

Good, Interesting Book

This book is very interesting. Like most books it has some boring points, but once you start reading, you can't stop! Once one exiting point ends, the book isn't over. In one, or two chapters there will be another exiting point. It is very exiting, and is one of the best books I have ever read.

3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted February 22, 2009

H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E!!!!

i had to read this for school, and every little bit of the book was just BAD! and not to mention completely and utterly BORING!!! it was just bad. real, bad. dont even pick it up.

3 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted July 19, 2013

Ewwwww

This book sucks

2 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted December 6, 2010

Strength and Love Prevails!

Set in Mississippi, a notorious state for the mistreatment of African Americans even to this day, author Mildred D. Taylor brings us the story of the Logan's, a hardworking family struggling to make an honest living. Through the harshness of cruel racism and injustices, the family's strength and love prevails.

This gripping book had me from the beginning and I quickly grew attached to the Logan's, especially our narrator, Cassie. The ending was especially powerful; I felt like crying along with Cassie.

This book is good for slightly older children. I feel it important that children understand controversial topics such as racism since it is still very prevalent today. This book is very clear where right and wrong is concerned, displaying numerous acts of injustices; therefore, books such as this one could possibly soften students and perhaps even prevent racism in some.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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Rose_P

Posted October 28, 2010

A Tale of Defiance (very moving!)

This 1930's tale of a sharecropping family breaks the common mold for the life of an African American family trying to survive the depression and racist hate crimes. The Logan family, unlike most families of the time, own their own land and do whatever work it takes to pay for things out right instead of taking out loans. At the same time they are trying to raise four young children in a time where life doesn't make sense and the torture from their white counterparts is relentless. The book is a great way to show kids about the hardships that some races have faced in this country and the perseverance it took to overcome their struggles.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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svcsty

Posted January 6, 2009

Rolling Thunder is awesome

When I first read this book, I couldn¿t put it down until the very end. It was gripping because it was true. I read it several times over the winter holiday because it was so interesting. This is a must read for any WWII, pre-teen, or teen reader. Enjoy!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted February 23, 2014

Review by Elizabeth B.

A fantastic story by Mildred d Taylor. Cassie fights through this hatd time wich inspires me. I love how Cassie daydreams about smashing Lillian Jean's books into the ground. It is sad that papa almost died bevause of the horrible accident. Spoiler : T.J. dies at the end it is really sad espesally for Cassie.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted February 21, 2014

My Book Review
¿Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry¿ By Mildred D. Taylo

My Book Review“Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry” By Mildred D. TaylorMy Book ReportNumber of stars 1-5 (1 to 5): 5 stars “Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry”, is about African American people getting mistreated. The Logan family works very hard to save the same piece of farmland they own. African American children dig a ditch in the road which makes the bus wreck and the axle break. Meanwhile, very difficult problems are developing. The Wallace boys killed several black people. Meanwhile the Logan’s are offered the option to buy food and clothes in Vicksburg and Mr. Jamison, a white man, backs up their money and credit.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted November 20, 2013

Hey i like minecraft

I love minecraft like i love this book. Also ima bosss. Oh yea. Ugleeahh

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted November 19, 2013

Roll of thunder hesr
Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry

I prefer you read this. I loved this book so much i could not keep my nose out of it. Although some bad moments, this is one of the best books I have read

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted July 11, 2013

A great book

Th boook is well done

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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ashleyutsa

Posted October 28, 2010

The Deep South With a Deep Heart

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is set in the Depresion-era in Mississippithe could quite possibly be the best civil rights book I have ever read. The Logan's work hard to keep their land since they are one of the few African American (and white) families who own land. Cassie, one of the main characters, is such a little spit fire with a big heart but all of the characters make the book amazing and contribute in different ways that make the book a strong read. I did feel sad and get really angry with the racial and social injustices the Logan family, as well as the other black families, had to endure. I like this book because it gives the reader a great perceptive of an African American family during those hard and trying times of Civil War era. Although some may find it degrading and awful, I found it educating and really enjoyed it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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efCS

Posted September 8, 2010

Best book ever!

Book title and author:
Title of review: roll of thunder hear my cry
Number of stars (1 to 5):

Introduction - It was 1940 during the world war, Cassie a young black girl was terrified of going out side worried that she might be shot. Threw these harsh days Cassie, her brothers and big ma had gone to the deli. Big ma ran into Mrs. Lillian Jean as she approached the store, and began to talk. Cassie had gone ahead into the store while her brothers shopped around. Cassie went ahead to the cash register and was being checked out until a white girl pushed her out of the way so that she could get checked out. Now big ma told Cassie not to say anything if that had ever happened, but as you would know Cassie said something. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING PUSHING ME OUT OF THE WAY?" The lady just ignored her. Big ma came running in the deli terrified. Big ma yanked Cassie by the arm and said "LET'S GO NOW!!!" She had told the cashier sorry, along with the lady. The cashier kicked Cassie out and said never to come back again.

Description and summary of main points - Cassie's uncle had came in for a few days, & brought gifts. He called everyone into the living room. Cassie opened hers and it was a new leather jacket. The next day Cassie went to school, and gave it to a guy because he said that it would look better on him then it did on her.

Evaluation - Cassie gets in trouble for giving the jacket to the boy.

Conclusion - All the problems in the story is solved and she is comfortable with life.

Your final review - I was in 7th grade and read the book in reading language arts. I loved the book so much I even went to the nearest public library and read the book over again. You'll love the book. Mildred D. Taylor is a wonderful author and deserves all the credit.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted July 21, 2010

WONDERFUL

Im 25 years old and i first read this book when I was in the 5th grade.
And I have since read it to my 5 year old daughter. I recommend this book to all races to read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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